Title
Reinterpreting Coatlicue : the Sculptural Narrative of Defeat at the Shrine of Huitzilopochtli
Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Masterʼs Research Paper
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Art & Art History
First Advisor
Annabeth Headrick
Keywords
Coyolxauhqui (Aztec deity), Coatlicue (Statue), Coatlicue (Aztec deity), Aztecs -- Mythology, Sex role -- Religious aspects
Abstract
"Images of the decapitated, dismembered female warrior Coyolxauhqui, a main character in the Mexica mythology of Huitzilopochtli, figured prominently in Imperial Mexica sculptural campaigns at the Templo Mayor. However, monoliths of a terrifying, dismembered female from the shrine have traditionally been identified as Huitzilopochtli’s nurturing mother Coatlicue, or permutations of goddesses. Such studies do not adequately address why these sculptures depict mutilated beings whose characteristics are antithetical to Coatlicue’s appropriate female behavior depicted in myths and images"
Recommended Citation
Miller, Renée, "Reinterpreting Coatlicue : the Sculptural Narrative of Defeat at the Shrine of Huitzilopochtli" (2011). Master's Research Papers. 280.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/art_mrp/280
Comments
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